1979 Liverpool Edge Hill by-election

1979 Liverpool Edge Hill by-election

29 March 1979
Constituency of Liverpool Edge Hill
First party Second party Third party   Lab Con Candidate David Alton Bob Wareing Nicholas Ward Party Liberal Labour Conservative Popular vote 12,945 4,812 1,906 Percentage 64.1% 23.8% 9.4% Swing 36.8% 28.1% 11.3%
MP before election Arthur Irvine Labour Elected MP David Alton Liberal

The 1979 Liverpool Edge Hill by-election was a parliamentary by-election held on 29 March 1979 to elect a new Member of Parliament (MP) for the UK House of Commons constituency of Liverpool Edge Hill.

Polling in the by-election took place one day after the government of James Callaghan had lost a vote of no confidence in parliament and slightly over a month before the 1979 general election. The seat had become vacant in the previous December, upon the death of the constituency's Labour Party MP Sir Arthur Irvine, who had held the seat since a by-election in 1947.

The result was a gain for the Liberal Party, represented by David Alton. Having made his maiden speech on 3 April, just before the House rose for the election, he was re-elected a few weeks later, and from 1983 held the Mossley Hill seat until he stood down from the Commons in 1997, 18 years after the by-election.

Result

Liverpool Edge Hill by-election, 1979

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	David Alton	12,945	64.1	+36.8
	Labour	Bob Wareing	4,812	23.8	−28.1
	Conservative	Nicholas Ward	1,906	9.4	−11.3
	Law and Order	Joan Jonker	337	1.7	New
	Socialist Unity	Ann Walker	127	0.6	New
	Gay Liberal	Michael Taylor	40	0.2	New
	Democratic Monarchist, Public Safety, White Resident	Bill Boaks	32	0.2	New
Majority			8,133	40.3	N/A
Turnout			20,199	20.2	−41.0
	Liberal gain from Labour		Swing	+30.2

See also

• Liverpool Edge Hill (UK Parliament constituency)
• 1947 Liverpool Edge Hill by-election
• List of United Kingdom by-elections
• List of parliamentary constituencies in Merseyside

External links

• David Alton's account of the by-election